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About this series

“Aces of Trades” is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com or 740-328-8821.

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For more information about Dodi Wilson and Restoring Light Yoga, 1845 W. Main St., call 740-504-3332 or go to restoringlightyoga.com.

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Dodi Wilson began learning about yoga as a teenager from a book she found in the 25-cent bin at the Homer Public Library.

She brought the book home and tried some of the poses, not realizing that her interest would evolve into a career that would take her around the world and give her a new outlook on life.

Years later, Wilson, an experienced registered yoga teacher, is the owner of Restoring Light Yoga at The Advantage Club West, 1845 W. Main St.

She specializes in therapeutic yoga, which can especially benefit senior citizens, people who are recovering from injuries and people with illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease.

“I try to bring it to the people who don’t think they can do yoga,” she said. “Yoga is a broad term. It’s not just the physical aspect, there is a mental aspect and meditation. When you put it all together, everyone can do some part of it.”

Wilson, of Newark, took her first yoga class when she was working at a bank in Gahanna.

“I was very stressed, and I found a lunchtime yoga class,” she said.

After a few classes, she was hooked. She continued taking classes when she got transferred to Newark.

She got her first taste of teaching when her instructor, who was a surgeon, had to miss class and asked her to cover for him.

As a single mother, teaching yoga became an opportunity to provide for her family.

“It’s always been there (for me),” she said. “Yoga got me a job and gave me a sense of self-esteem.”

Wilson began teaching a variety of fitness classes while she began working toward her registered yoga teacher certification.

One of the classes she took was a restorative yoga class.

“I knew it was the direction I wanted to go,” she said.

Restorative and therapeutic yoga focuses on helping participants feel more connected to their bodies so they can deal with pain, tension or stress, Wilson said.

It can be helpful for people dealing with anxiety or depression as well as people who are fighting cancer or trying to lose weight.

As she continued her education, one of her teachers invited Wilson to travel to India, where she could study yoga in communities along the Ganges River.

She left for India in November 2012 and came back with a new perspective on community and the connectedness of cultures.

“It was eye-opening,” she said. “(I realized) no matter our age or our skin color, we are all the same and we need the same things in life. Yoga breaks down those barriers.”

When she came back from her trip, Wilson was determined to open up her own yoga studio.

She rented a small space at The Advantage Club and started out with a class of eight people in January 2013. Soon, her classes were completely booked.

After attending more training programs in New York and Canada, Wilson was able to rent a larger space at The Advantage Club and expand her offerings in October.

Her studio has bright-red walls and lots of candles but no mirrors.

“It gives people a sense of security and freedom,” she said. “I want you to feel your yoga, not see it.”

Many of her clients really enjoy using the ropes she has hanging from the walls to get stretched out. For many, props such as blocks and ropes help enhance their yoga.

“There is a wide range of things you can try and do, and that’s what I want to bring to the table,” she said.

While teaching classes, Wilson tries to personalize the workout to fit her group of students and explain things so they are easy to understand.

The best part of her job is finding out that one of her students has reached her weight-loss goal or one of her seniors can reach the top shelf for the first time in years, she said.

“It’s absolutely a gift,” she said. “When they walk out (of class) better, that is a huge deal.”

Wilson plans to continue teaching with hopes of helping more people use yoga to feel better.

“If I feel good and help people every single day, it’s more rewarding than being a millionaire,” she said.